a generic male body, life-sized, rotating slowly in 3-D so Barrow could analyze it. There were lots of little boxes and options hovering next to it, things that could change the avatar’s hair or skin color, its height, build, and so on. Some of the boxes were grayed out, and an entire menu option of “celebrity avatars” was locked, although there was a friendly pop-up message mentioning how cheap it would be to buy enough points to unlock this option. Barrow gave them only a quick review since he was not interested in the avatar, only in having one so he would be able to meet his boss as quickly as he could. Thankfully, his eyes found the default avatar option, which was “I Want to Be Myself!” He assumed choosing that option would create an avatar that was a reflection of his own true body.
“That. I want to select the option to be myself,” he said.
“Thank you for your selection,” the female voice answered. “Your avatar is being rendered. Please note that due to privacy and security concerns, persons under eighteen years of age are only permitted to select this avatar option bearing the written consent of a parent or guardian.”
“I’m twenty-nine,” Barrow grumbled.
The recording ignored him. “Please take a moment to browse through our extensive Groups list, where you will find like-minded individuals who share your interests and welcome you to Otherlife. If you wish to find a particular user or search for a specific hub destination, simply say, ‘show directory’ or call up the menu and select the option manually. Also—”
Thankfully, the recording was interrupted with a new message in the same voice.
“Avatar rendering complete. Steve Barrow, you have been granted temporary Security-level privileges for use in this account. Initiating neural transfer.”
There was a brief flash of light, and Barrow raised his hand to shield his eyes from it. Then he lowered it. He had a hand!
“Transfer complete. Please take a moment to evaluate and accept your avatar.”
A mirror, or something a lot like it, materialized in front of Barrow, showing him the avatar. He was amazed. It looked exactly like him. He ran a hand through his hair. It was the same shade of fiery red as in real life. His green eyes looked back at him just as they did on the mirrors in the real world. He touched his chin goatee, red as his hair, and it felt real. He was wearing what looked to be a virtual version of a Security Guard uniform, black pants with one vertical red stripe running up either leg, a black T-shirt, and a vest with a faintly glowing ID tag. Armor-like shoulder pads and shin guards that were more for show than real protection completed the ensemble. He turned around. On the back of the vest, the Otherlife logo was emblazoned brightly. There was a dangerous-looking baton slung through his belt, and it also felt very real. Barrow grinned.
“Accept avatar,” he said.
“Thank you. Please select your first destination, Steve Barrow.”
“Take me to Hub Node 01,” he said. “Quickly. I’m already late.”
He had expected some kind of instant teleportation to take place, but instead the black wall to his left was suddenly lit up by one of the bright red sparks of light near the floor. The spark raced up along the wall until it was just above Barrow’s eye level, then turned a sharp right angle and kept going for about half its vertical distance. When it reached it, it turned a sharp right angle again and started going down, disappearing when it reached the floor. The spark had traced a rectangle on the wall—making a door. A crude pop-up above it was now labeled “Hub Node 01.”
Barrow shrugged and headed for the door. He was surprised at how natural it felt to move on the floor he could not see. It was just like walking. When he reached the door, he first stuck his hand through the opening to make sure it wasn’t solid. When his hand reached the threshold, though, it seemed to dematerialize and
“That. I want to select the option to be myself,” he said.
“Thank you for your selection,” the female voice answered. “Your avatar is being rendered. Please note that due to privacy and security concerns, persons under eighteen years of age are only permitted to select this avatar option bearing the written consent of a parent or guardian.”
“I’m twenty-nine,” Barrow grumbled.
The recording ignored him. “Please take a moment to browse through our extensive Groups list, where you will find like-minded individuals who share your interests and welcome you to Otherlife. If you wish to find a particular user or search for a specific hub destination, simply say, ‘show directory’ or call up the menu and select the option manually. Also—”
Thankfully, the recording was interrupted with a new message in the same voice.
“Avatar rendering complete. Steve Barrow, you have been granted temporary Security-level privileges for use in this account. Initiating neural transfer.”
There was a brief flash of light, and Barrow raised his hand to shield his eyes from it. Then he lowered it. He had a hand!
“Transfer complete. Please take a moment to evaluate and accept your avatar.”
A mirror, or something a lot like it, materialized in front of Barrow, showing him the avatar. He was amazed. It looked exactly like him. He ran a hand through his hair. It was the same shade of fiery red as in real life. His green eyes looked back at him just as they did on the mirrors in the real world. He touched his chin goatee, red as his hair, and it felt real. He was wearing what looked to be a virtual version of a Security Guard uniform, black pants with one vertical red stripe running up either leg, a black T-shirt, and a vest with a faintly glowing ID tag. Armor-like shoulder pads and shin guards that were more for show than real protection completed the ensemble. He turned around. On the back of the vest, the Otherlife logo was emblazoned brightly. There was a dangerous-looking baton slung through his belt, and it also felt very real. Barrow grinned.
“Accept avatar,” he said.
“Thank you. Please select your first destination, Steve Barrow.”
“Take me to Hub Node 01,” he said. “Quickly. I’m already late.”
He had expected some kind of instant teleportation to take place, but instead the black wall to his left was suddenly lit up by one of the bright red sparks of light near the floor. The spark raced up along the wall until it was just above Barrow’s eye level, then turned a sharp right angle and kept going for about half its vertical distance. When it reached it, it turned a sharp right angle again and started going down, disappearing when it reached the floor. The spark had traced a rectangle on the wall—making a door. A crude pop-up above it was now labeled “Hub Node 01.”
Barrow shrugged and headed for the door. He was surprised at how natural it felt to move on the floor he could not see. It was just like walking. When he reached the door, he first stuck his hand through the opening to make sure it wasn’t solid. When his hand reached the threshold, though, it seemed to dematerialize and
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